Inventors

BRIGHT IDEASAutonomous DeskRISES TO THE OCCASIONautonomous.aiOnewheelSK ATEBOARD TAKES ON SEGWAYrideonewheel.comAutonomous Desk is a smart office desk that automatically givesyou a healthier way to work. The desk senses your arrival in themorning and automatically rises to your preferred standing height.After you’ve changed the desk height several times, it learns yourhabits and adjusts its height—from standing to sitting—and backagain—as a natural part of your day to help you be active while youwork. If you’ve been sitting for hours, the desk proactively remindsyou to stand up.Autonomous Desk also comes with a voice-activated personalassistant that allows you to access a variety of apps and get the day’stasks done quickly and conveniently. Order a chicken salad, schedule a meeting, find a restaurant, call a taxi or ask for information.The desk can control compatible devices in your office such asthe thermostat, lights or automatic door. Special features includea wireless charging pad, USB charger, speaker, and a bag and keyhanger. The design is simple, and the top comes in several finishes,including oak, walnut, solid white, solid black or bamboo. Autonomous Desk is currently available on Kickstarter with a basic priceof 399. The extra-large model is 599, and a monitor stand, 49.—Cliff McNamaraSkateboarding just got a little cooler—thanks to the Onewheel electric skateboard. Powered by a motor and fittedwith a singular tire in the center of the board, Onewheel’selectronic sensors detect the way the user is leaning, effortlessly propelling the skateboard forward, while giving therider the sensation of flying. Advanced sensors and electronics provide a totally smooth riding experience, andOnewheel is nimble enough for the rider to perform skateboarding tricks. Onewheel’s top speed peaks at 12 miles perhour, and it has a range of up to six miles with a full charge.The device incorporates LED lighting for night riding, hasmultiple riding modes, and is even compatible with severalAndroid apps via Bluetooth. — Zach RachubaLight PhoneBACK TO THE BASICSthelightphone.comSmartphone owners who may not want the rings, dings and pings associated with email, voicemail and numerous other distractions will enjoy Light Phone, which is designed to be used aslittle as possible. The slim, credit card-sized phone works as a stand-alone phone or with anapp on your existing phone. The interface is stripped down to the most basic functions.Light Phone allows the user to make calls for up to 20 days without charging, and it easily fitsinto a wallet. Light Phone can synch with your existing phone to forward calls and store up to10 numbers on speed dial. The device works independently of your carrier as a pre-paid phone.An unlimited plan is also offered. Light Phone is a great backup when your smartphone dies oris a perfect first phone for children. Light is available for the pre-order price of 100, which includes the charger, SIM and 500 prepaid minutes. Light phone will begin shipping June 2016.— Cliff McNamara10INVENTORS DIGEST SEPTEMBER 2015

Crash SackWAKE UP AND GOrei.comWaking up at a campsite in cold weatheris not much fun, but the Crash Sack, asleeping bag cum puffer coat, will makemornings in the wilderness bearable.You don’t even have to crawl out of yoursleeping bag to light your camp stove.The bottom of the sleeping bag unzips,and the bottom can be clipped up so thatthe wearer can walk around in it easily.Crash Sack has arm holes for easymaneuvering, which are covered byshoulder flaps to minimize heat loss.The bag has a hood for added warmthand internal pockets to store a cellphone or other creature comforts.Crash Sack is rated to 45 degreesF and is available in three sizes atREI for 119. — Cliff McNamaranipiCOOLER CHARGEnipicoolers.comPop QuizWhich of these was the Frisbeeat one time called?A. Whirl AwayB. Flying SaucerC. Pluto PlatterD. All the aboveIf you guessed “all of the above,” you’re correct.Before becoming a World War II pilot, Walter F. Morrison and his friendsdiscovered that, with the help of a strong breeze, they could toss popcorn can lids to each other on the beach. As a pilot during World War II,Morrison learned about aerodynamics, and after the war, he revisited theflying lid.Morrison developed a toy he first called a Whirl Away, which didn’tsell, so the name was changed to Flying Saucer, and later, to Pluto Platter. In 1957, when Morrison found out that students at Yale were callingthe disk “Frisbee,” because it looked like a pie tin from the local FrisbeeBakery, he changed the name again, and the flying disk began spinningaround the world. — Cama McNamaraWhat could be cooler than a cooler that not onlykeeps food and beverages cold, but also boastsa charging hub and security box, as well as coolLED lighting? Consider the nipi Smart Cooler foryour next lengthy camping trip.The cooler can keep ice frozen for up to six daysand has 50 quarts of cold storage space, which canaccommodate around 70 cans. Electronic devicessuch as smartphones and Bluetooth speakers canbe charged through the two external USB ports,which are powered by high-efficiency solar panels.The panels deliver up to 6W of power each and areused in pairs to power external and internal LEDlighting, as well as electronic devices.A 14,000 mAH lithium polymer battery chargesin approximately seven hours through the solarpanels. A fully juiced single battery is capable ofcharging a smartphone seven times over. Toutedas a cooler with 21st century survival features, nipialso offers the basics, such as cup holders and acutting board. The oversized wheels are made forall-terrain travel, and the lightweight design makesit easy to transport. nipi is available for pre-orderthrough Kickstarter for 195. Orders begin shipping in March 2016. The anticipated retail is 450.— Cliff McNamara marco consani / acrobaticfrisbee.com / wikimedia commonsSEPTEMBER 2015 INVENTORS DIGEST11

photo cour tesy of pamela birdTIME TESTEDBird ManTDr. Forrest M. Bird Soared Through Lifehe invention community lost amonumental member with thepassing of Dr. Forrest M. Birdon August 2, 2015. Bird wasan American icon, whose tinkering withstrawberry-shortcake tins, door knobsand a metering device led to a respiratorthat made high-altitude flying possible—and subsequent inventions that savedmillions of lives.Bird often said that “life was fate, timeand circumstance,” three pillars he used toadvantage each day. Bird’s vast knowledgeand work spanned multiple disciplines, ashis academic titles—M.D., Ph.D., Sc.D.and D.S.—suggest. Bird was recognized12INVENTORS DIGEST SEPTEMBER 2015the world over as an innovator, aviator,entrepreneur, professor, scientist, veteran,physician and humanitarian.In a recent interview, Bird’s wife, Dr.Pamela Riddle Bird, said that althoughher husband’s death was a tremendouspersonal loss, the greater loss was that of“one of the most incredible inventors andhumanitarians who ever lived.”Taking FlightBorn on June 9, 1921 in Stoughton, Mass.,Bird grew up around the family machineshop business and, as a result, developedan early affinity for engineering and innovation. Family friend Henry Ford wasimpressed by the young boy who built tractors and corn huskers from Model T parts.Bird was also passionate about aviation.His father, a former World War I combatpilot, gave his young son flying lessons,and when Bird met aviation luminaryOrville Wright, his fate was sealed.Through an accelerated academic program, Bird graduated from high school atage 14, the same year he performed hisfirst solo flight. By the time he enlisted inthe Army Air Corps a week after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, Birdwas an experienced pilot.He entered active duty as a technical airtraining officer, with a variety of duties that

Bird said of all his inventions, the Baby Bird , a respirator designed for infants, washis most significant contribution to medicine. The Baby Bird has been given credit forsaving thousands of premature babies born with underdeveloped lungs. After it wasintroduced in 1970, infant mortality rates from respiratory problems dropped from70 percent to less than 10 percent.Breathe DeepAfter the war, Bird settled in Palm Springs,Calif., where he studied medicine andcompleted diverse residencies with anemphasis on curricula that impacted hiswork. Much of Bird’s formal higher education, however, was completed later inlife, when he earned four doctorates. Birdreceived his Doctor of Science in aeronautics from Northrop University inInglewood, Calif., in 1977 and a Doctorof Medicine from the Pontifical CatholicUniversity of Campinas in Brazil in 1979.He also obtained a Ph.D. in physics and aDoctor of Science in biotechnology. “Hecould talk to anyone in the world aboutany subject,” Pamela relates.In 1946, Bird designed the PositivePressure Inhalation Device, followed inBird Mark 8 Respiratorstefan bellini / wikimedia commons / public domaingave him the opportunity to pilot most aircraft in service. For a time, he was GeneralPatton’s pilot, but Bird wanted his own assignments. He studied aeronautics and ferried bombers, fighters and transport planesfrom aircraft factories to airfields acrossthe United States, as well as to operationalsquadrons in Europe, the Pacific and Asia.During the war, Bird’s study of high-altitude respiratory problems—combinedwith the capture and resulting modification of a German regulator—led to Bird’sAnti-G Pressure Suit Regulator, whichenabled pilots to climb to 40,000 feet,giving Americans an advantage in dogfights. Bird later said that his researchduring the war proved invaluable whenhe began designing biomechanical medical devices, recalling that as he flew, heexamined the similarities between theway air flowed over the wings of a planeand how it moved through the humanlungs. Bird later applied these principlesto his medical devices.1950 by the first prototype of the BirdRespirator, which enabled the latest aircraft to exceed altitudes at which humanscould breathe normally, reducing therisk of pilot hypoxia.But, it was the Bird Mark 7 that impactedthe world beneath the skies. These deviceswere the first portable, reliable, low-costrespirators in the world. The Bird Mark 7eventually replaced archaic and expensivemechanisms like iron lungs, which at theheight of the polio epidemic only a decadebefore had lined hospital wards. Formallyknown as the Bird Universal Medical Respirator, the device completely transformedthe field of respiratory medicine.“At first, physicians were skeptical ofthe device,” says Pamela. “They said, ‘Amachine that breathes for you; that isnever going to happen.’ ” But it did.The Mark 7 was initially tested on patients who had little chance of survival, butas Bird continued to make improvements,more lives were saved. In 1967, Bird onceagain took to the air, when he developedthe Bird Innovator, a converted Consolidated PBY Catalina amphibious aircraft,to fly around the world teaching physicians how to use his respirator. The “littlegreen box,” as it was known, became a familiar sight in hospitals around the world.“I work as if I were going to be the nextperson to need a respirator,” Bird told TheAssociated Press in a 1981 interview. “Ishare in the benefits I bestow on others,and my work has enriched my life.”Baby BirdBird, who retired from the Army as aColonel, was involved in both the Koreanand Vietnam wars. Pamela says that herhusband was a true patriot, who admiredsoldiers and veterans, and believed thatthe United States is a true land of freedom and opportunity.It was Bird, who during the VietnamWar, developed intensive care transport, ormodern-day Medevac. Today, Medevac isa critical component of retrieving wounded soldiers from the battlefield, as well asSEPTEMBER 2015 INVENTORS DIGEST13

TIME TESTEDtransporting patients from thescene of an accident.Bird’s inventions were also vital to the world’s first open-heartsurgery and first liver transplant,but in a 1977 interview withMorley Safer for 60 Minutes, Birdsaid of all his inventions, the BabyBird , a respirator designed forinfants, was his most significantcontribution to medicine. TheBaby Bird has been given creditfor saving thousands of premature babiesborn with underdeveloped lungs. After itwas introduced in 1970, infant mortalityrates from respiratory problems droppedfrom 70 percent to less than 10 percent.Even Pamela’s daughter, Rachel, was savedby a Baby Bird.“Old pilotsdon’t die, theyget a new setof wings.”—DR. PAMELA BIRDphoto s cour te sy of pamela bi r dLanding Field14To manufacture and market the burgeoning number of medical devices he wasdeveloping, Bird founded Bird OxygenBreathing Equipment, Inc., later namedBird Corporation. After selling Bird Corpto 3M in 1979, Bird moved to Sagle, Idaho,where he bought a pastoral 300-acre estateon Lake Pend Orielle—but his life was farfrom tranquil. The estate was also hometo the newly founded PercussionaireCorporation, where dozens of employeesdeveloped and marketed Bird’s inventions.Bird often worked long hours, takingtime to fly one of his many planes three orfour mornings each week.The property also included a workingfarm that sustained the residents, and anairfield and hangars for the scores of restored vintage airplanes, helicopters, carsand motorcycles Bird had collected. Birdcontinued to innovate his entire life and,in his final years, held more than 200 patents, with many others pending. In fact, ifyou visit the Percussionaire website, you’llsee Bird’s latest product, the Travel Air ,which will soon be ready for “take off.”Bird and Pamela met at a conference inOrlando, Fla., in 1995. An innovator in herown right, Pamela’s company, InnovativeProduct Technologies, Inc., was holding aconference in conjunction with the UnitedStates Patent and Trademark Office. Birdhad just been inducted into the NationalINVENTORS DIGEST SEPTEMBER 2015Inventors Hall of Fame, and the USPTOrequested that Pamela add Bird to the listof speakers. Pamela already had notablespeakers lined up and at first resisted, because she was not familiar with Bird, norhis accomplishments. Bird gave a brilliantlecture that day, and Pamela eventuallydiscovered the two had much in common.They were married in 1999.Pamela says that the couple’s lives werenot affected by the 36-year age difference. “Imagine sitting down with one ofthe most brilliant men on Earth, who hadtraveled the world and lived through theIndustrial Revolution and the technologicalDr. Forrest Bird with an IPV1C respirator unit.Inset: Forrest Bird and wife, Pamela, take flight ona Beechcraft airplane from the Bird Ranch Airstripin Sagle, Idaho.revolution; a man who would sit downand take his new Apple computer apartand put it back together, just to see how itworked. Living with Forrest was like living with the Internet—not Siri—Siri asksthe Internet questions. He could discussany subject, any time, worldwide: religion,politics, geography, history, science, aviation, physics, astronomy, fishing, cooking,Awards and HonorsAn unpretentious man, Bird wore New Balance running shoes with his tux atblack-tie events, including the times he was honored at the White House by twoUnited States presidents. Although his accolades are too numerous to name,following are a few of the most significant.1985 and 2005: Winner of the Lifetime Scientific Achievement Award1995: Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame2007: Inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation2008: Inducted into the Idaho Aviation Hall of Fame2008: Received the Presidential Citizens Medal from George W. Bush2009: Awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation fromPresident Barack Obama2012: Received the Charles Lindbergh Award2012: Inducted into the Idaho Technology Hall of Fame

INVENTOR ARCHIVES: SeptemberSeptember 4, 1888George Eastman, an avid photographer andfounder of the Eastman Kodak Company, wasgranted U.S. Patent No. 388,850 for the Kodakroll film camera. Together with a full-timeresearch scientist, Eastman perfected roll film,which made possible Thomas Edison’s motionpicture camera in 1891.September 13, 1870U.S. Patent No. 107,304 was granted toDaniel C. Stillson for an improvement inwrenches (far right). This modern,adjustable pipe wrench is also known as theStillson, or monkey wrench.A Legacy of InnovationTo further the cause of innovation, thecouple opened the Bird Aviation Museumand Invention Center on the property in2007. The facility strives to “educate visitors about the historic contributions ofaviators and innovators who have helpedcreate modern technology, and celebrate these individuals who have foreverchanged the way we live. It only takes oneperson to change the world.”Pamela says that by the time her husband was 88, he slowed down to working14-hour days, which were filled with developing new technology; running hisbusiness; talking to employees and distributors; traveling; pitching hay, and, ofcourse, flying. At 91, Bird still enjoyedhelicopter maneuvers.Pamela says she and Bird worked asa team outside the office, too, canningsalsa and over 300 jars of jelly each year,made from the fruits and vegetablesgrown on the farm.In his later years, Bird spent countlesshours touring schools and encouragingstudents of all ages to develop a sense ofinnovation. “That was a priority for him,”Pamela says. “He told them that inventorschange the world—and that it could bethem. They had the power, the creativity,the ingenuity and talent to make a difference in the world.” Who would know better than Forrest Bird?September 19, 1876Melville Bissell was granted U.S. Patent No.182,346 for a carpet sweeper. FollowingBissel’s death in 1889, his wife, Anna, tookcontrol of the company, becoming America’sfirst female CEO.September 20, 1938U.S. Patent No. 2,130,948 was granted to Wallace Carothersfor the synthetic fiber nylon. Although his discovery becameone of the great inventions of the 20th century, Carothersnever saw success. In 1937, he drank a deadly cocktail oflemon juice laced with potassium cyanide, adding his nameto the list of famous chemists who had committed suicide.photo by er ik l il jer othgenetics, etc. Ask him any question, andthe vast majority of the time, he knew theanswer. As his final flight drew near, I realized that if I only knew 1/100 of whatthis 94-year-old gentleman had forgotten,I might consider myself smart.“This same man was also the quintessential gentleman. Forrest was concernedabout doing his absolute best for mankind.He always said, ‘Blood bleeds red.’ Discrimination was not part of his vocabulary.”During their years together, the couple traveled to more than 60 countries,teaching and lecturing. “He had the ability to speak on all levels,” says Pamela. “Hecould speak to a kindergartner as well ashe could converse with a scientist, whichis genius in itself.”September 26, 1961Maxime Faget, the chief designer of America’s mannedspace program during the race to the moon, etal. weregranted

8 INVENTORS DIGEST SEPTEMBER 2015 EYE O WASHINGTON Return to: Cama McNamara Editor-in-Chief Inventors Digest 520 Elliott Street Charlotte, NC 28202 The survey is also posted on the Inventors Digest website: InventorsDigest.com. 1 YEAR 36.00 U.S. 2 Y